


So that I can float again

by PacificGuardian



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Swimming, M/M, Summer Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:34:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25410205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PacificGuardian/pseuds/PacificGuardian
Summary: Junmyeon accepts teaching his friend's brother how to swim. Only he isn't 9 but 19, and his friend had not said his brother was way too handsome for his own good.
Relationships: Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Junmyeon | Suho, Kim Minseok | Xiumin/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 13
Kudos: 68
Collections: Round 4: Spring and Summer





	So that I can float again

**Author's Note:**

> For EXO Seasonal, Round 4 -Prompt: 486
> 
> I tried to add a lot of actual swimming lessons material from what I remember learning as a preteen, but please don't go trying these lessons on your own??

They say people are made of 80% of water but anyone that knew Junmyeon could tell you he was surely an exception; he was probably entirely made of that liquid. His mind, his body and soul were always doused with water.

Swimming was his life and while his friends teased him a lot about it, he didn't mind. His hobbies all included swimming in one water or another - being the president of the swimming club, doing lifeguard duty in the summer, and even volunteering often in his city's community pool to teach kids how to swim. Junmyeon was so used to teaching kids how to swim that when his fellow club member, Minseok, asked him to teach his younger brother he accepted right away. 

He had heard a lot about Minseok's younger brother. He was constantly telling him and the rest of the club stories about how much of a troublemaker his brother was. How he would often start his own karaoke nights at one am in the morning and kept him up with old ballads that he shouldn't even know given his age. How he broke an arm trying to rescue a cat from a tree only for the cat to jump down easily while he himself fell down with a crash. How he annoyed him when he always won their family game nights because he was usually good at the most useless stuff, and how he almost drowned thrice last year because he was very clumsy and they had a fun but traumatizing spring break with the whole family. For Junmyeon, that was a pretty cool nine year old kid so accepting to be his teacher hadn't been a big deal. 

Junmyeon waited sitting on the border of the pool lazily stretching his feet under the water and lifting his arms as if trying to reach the sky. The community pool was far too empty considering it was summer but it was a Wednesday morning and for some unknown reason parents never felt like taking their kids swimming on Wednesdays mornings. Junmyeon knew that and that was exactly why he had asked his workmate for this shift. He wanted to focus on teaching Minseok's little brother how to swim, and he couldn't even imagine what would happen to him if he got distracted for a second and the boy drowned. 

Junmyeon was already wearing his swimming trunks so he just stepped into the pool. Based on his experience, kids react better if they already meet you inside the water, making them feel like they can trust you and the pool. He walked bordering the insides of the pool, checking how deep it was for him and calculating how deep it would be for a nine year old. They would have to probably stick with half of the swimming pool for the first lesson. The middle of the pool would probably be too deep for a kid but eventually he could learn how not to fear deeper water. 

He absent-mindedly walked back to the shallow side of the pool when he stepped onto something hard and almost cursed in pain. He bit his lip and took deep breaths before diving underwater to look at what he stepped on. Inside the water his eyes stung like always but he had learned how to ignore it, he grabbed the object and brought it outside the water to inspect. Junmyeon frowned at the Lego piece in his hand then glanced at the pool wondering if there were other pieces. He placed the Lego he had in his hand one the edge of the pool and dove back in, searching for other missing pieces that could hurt kids. 

"Oh, God! Help! Someone's drowning!" Junmyeon heard before he felt someone diving in the pool. He stuck his head out of the water and watched as a man struggled with keeping afloat. Junmyeon frowned at the man flapping his arms around. 

_ Did he just announce that he was going to drown before jumping into the water?  _

Junmyeon swam over and pulled the man closer to him while incessantly telling him that he needed to calm down and that the pool wasn't even that deep. The man ignored his words and continued screaming for help, climbing onto Junmyeon.

If it was open waters - either the sea or the ocean - Junmyeon would have hit him unconscious so the man couldn't drown both of them together. But his feet were touching the ground and Junmyeon was amused with the grown up hugging him while chanting prayers and going on about how he would go to church more often if he lived through this. 

Junmyeon began walking to the shallowest corner of the pool while carrying the boy and murmuring trying to calm him down, telling him he was okay and that there was nothing to be terrified about. That he was okay and that he could probably touch the floor if he let Junmyeon go.

They arrived at the corner and Junmyeon heaved him up in his arms and lifted him up to the edge. Once the other was safely out of water, he himself climbed up too, lifting himself up with his hands on the edge. He went over to bring a towel and placed it around the stranger's body. He was shivering and still breathing too quickly for it to be normal. He placed a hand behind the man's back and tapped strongly both to make sure the man hadn't breathed water and to take him out of his shock. 

The man stopped his hand and held his wrist while shaking his head slightly. 

"Are you okay?" Junmyeon watched the man struggle to get out a word, so he stopped him with a small comforting smile. "Just nod or shake your head, it's okay."

The man nodded. 

"Were you... " Junmyeon let the words drag as he looked at his own fingers playing with each other as he finished the question. "Were you trying to kill yourself even if there was another person in the pool?"

Junmyeon checked the man's reaction from the corner of his eye. The stranger looked like he was processing the question and then he grimaced. He wheezed out something, looking like he was trying to say something more but the shock, and probably the hoarse voice, caused by some of the chlorine water he swallowed, didn't allow him to. 

Junmyeon watched him swallow a few more times before he tried again. 

"I said I was trying to save you," the man said in a hoarse voice and followed it with him coughing. 

  
  


"I'm sure you'd be a great lifeguard," he said back, making sure his voice sounded more amused than annoyed or filled with sarcasm, as he walked back again to his lifeguard chair. Junmyeon took a water bottle from his bag and gave it to him, before sitting beside him. He checked his phone again. There was no sign of Minseok's brother. Maybe he should call Minseok and ask if the lesson was still a plan. 

"I had good intentions! You were floating with your head in the water and I said hi but you didn't answer and I thought you were dying. I didn't know what else to do," the other whined without a single break while looking at his own hands that played with the ends of the towel. 

Junmyeon chuckled at how tiny the stranger looked while pouting, "I teach people how to swim while you look like you can't even walk on the floor of the pool. What were you trying to do?" 

"You teach… are you Junmyeon?" The stranger looked at him surprised. Junmyeon watched how his gaze lingered for a second longer on his abs before returning to meet his eyes, his cheeks reddening a little bit more in the process. Being used to the attention after being a swimmer for years, Junmyeon just smirked at the stranger's cute reaction. 

"Yes, and you are?" he asked, his voice becoming a little bit deeper, and extended his right hand. He shamelessly checked out the other man in interest. It has been a long time since Junmyeon had found someone this attractive, and even though he still thought the stranger was cute and innocent, he couldn't help but to notice the weather wasn't the only thing hot this summer.

The stranger didn't even notice his gaze and answered excitedly, shaking his hand. "I'm Jongdae, Minseok's brother. I think I'm here for a lesson?" 

Junmyeon's smirk disappeared. He looked at the man and repeated after him in confusion. "Minseok's brother? How old are you again?"

"Uh, nineteen? I know it's kind of late to learn but I had," Jongdae paused and continued in a much lower voice, "a few issues last year, but I want to learn now."

Junmyeon refrained from laughing. Minseok had told the team all the details on how his little brother managed to almost drown three times in a week while on their spring break. He had heard everything about him but he had never gotten to know his age. He had been friends with Minseok for over 4 years now, how could he not know that? 

He vaguely remembered Minseok trying to show him a few family photos he took during Christmas but Junmyeon was getting late to his Calculus exam and missed the opportunity. Or the time Minseok invited him home for a Christmas break, but he had planned a skiing trip with some friends. When Minseok had been talking just a few months ago of how it had been his brother's 9th birthday. Or had that been a typo? 

Minseok hadn't made it easier either. He was always gushing about how much he loved his little brother. Talking about how his little brother had said he would miss his old friends and teachers once he moved in with him in the city. Talking about he made karaoke nights to cheer him up whenever he was feeling down. How clumsy he was. How childish he was. Calling him innocent, a troublemaker, a kid. 

Jongdae cleared his throat, bringing Junmyeon out of his thoughts. 

"Why? Does this pool have an age limit?" Jongdae asked with a pout. 

_ Cute _ , Junmyeon thought before reprimanding himself. He could not be thinking of Minseok's brother as being hot. He would probably kill him if he ever found out about it. He was cute. No, that's also a dangerous zone.  _ He is an average looking average nineteen year old average kid _ . He had not checked him out with dirty thoughts just now. He was merely checking if he had any wounds after falling into the pool. 

"No, I just didn't think you would be nineteen," Junmyeon answered truthfully. Jongdae would probably think he was talking about a difference of one or two years, not a whole decade. Jongdae nodded in understanding. 

"People do tell me I look older. Sometimes bus drivers made me show them my student ID after they didn't believe me."

Well, maybe, Jongdae didn't nod in understanding, he just nodded. 

Junmyeon let him think that he confused him as being older and jumped back inside the pool. 

"Are you ready for your first swimming lesson?" Junmyeon said excitedly and clapped his hands out of habit, before wincing at his own words. Jongdae laughed at Junmyeon's reaction, causing his eyes to squint into two crescent moons. Junmyeon turned his attention to the water around him, trying to avoid dangerous thoughts on how that was the cutest smile he had ever seen. 

He started teaching him how to swim from the basics, dedicating the first lesson to making him lose his fear of water. He had made this routine years ago specifically for children but he thought it would also function for his new student. He helped Jongdae enter the pool slowly as the water reached his upper chest. The man was no longer shivering but he was still wary inside the pool surrounded by water. Junmyeon began showing him how he should breathe deeply and hold his breath. He made Jongdae stick to a wall, breathe in, duck down holding his breath and then come back out into the air. Jongdae did it quite easily and Junmyeon almost didn't believe this wasn't the same guy who was crying about drowning when his feet could touch the floor. 

After that he made him walk to the other side of the pool holding onto the wall for support, and once he felt it was getting too deep for him to walk, he could walk back to the shallow side. Jongdae felt he was in too deep too soon; the water was barely reaching his shoulders when he made a turn. Then he taught him how to push himself up by jumping from the pool's floor. Jongdae looked really awkward doing the exercise, but Junmyeon couldn't blame him. It did look ridiculous how two men were jumping in the water in an otherwise empty pool. Next, he made him walk again to the deep side, but instead of returning, he had to breathe in, and walk under the water until he felt the need to breathe when he could push himself up and cling to the pool's border. 

The lesson ended with no drowning accidents. There had been two occasions when Jongdae had gone too deeply and freaked out when he could no longer touch the pool's floor while also keeping his head out of the water, but Junmyeon had kept swimming close to him and quickly helped him. The two men promised to meet the next day for the next class and Junmyeon had to chant "He is Minseok's brother" in his head to stop himself from inviting the pretty boy to dinner.

Morning came and Junmyeon's first thought after waking up was "Do NOT think about Minseok's brother". Anyone who had common sense and a little bit of life experience knew that was exactly the way you start thinking of something or in this case, someone, nonstop. 

So that's what he did, he thought of him. Not in an oversexual way like a horny teenager, but he thought he was hot. He thought he was also cute, he thought of his smile. He thought of how calm he looked compared to all the stories Minseok had shared about him. 

He thought of him as he woke up, as he went into the shower and chuckled thinking Jongdae would probably hate bathtubs. He thought of him as he ate his breakfast and as he walked to the pool. As he entered the changing rooms and as he got out, no shirt on and just a pair of swimming trunks. His constant  _ don't think about Jongdae _ thoughts were blocked by someone greeting him. 

"So, Jongdae didn't drown yesterday, that's already a win." Chanyeol, his workmate, swimming club member and friend, said from one of the chairs beside the pool. 

"My only win will be when you finally stop sending me links of underground rap songs from soundcloud, " Junmyeon said while lying on the chair next to him. 

"I'll stop when you stop sending me boring fun facts about marine animals," Chanyeol bit back to which Junmyeon only childishly mimicked. 

They both looked in silence at the children swimming in the pool, some with older kids and other with their parents. Today was a little bit empty for a Thursday but Junmyeon had no doubt the pool would fill in the afternoon when the heat would become stronger. He had come an hour before the actual class to keep company to Chanyeol. 

"I thought Minseok's little brother was actually little," Junmyeon said after a while.

"Do you mean his height or do you mean his, uh," Chanyeol paused and looked down at his private parts. 

"I meant his age, you perverted giant!" Junmyeon whispered the last part, making sure no kids around had heard him, and slapped his arm. He was sure his face was red and he felt even hotter on this summer day, blushing to the core. 

"Hit me again and you'll see." Chanyeol laughed while rubbing his arm. "I will start shipping you guys."

Junmyeon just groaned. He knew his complaints were fuel for Chanyeol's plans, and he proved it once again as the taller man's smile grew even more after watching his reaction. 

He went on and on talking about how they could be those perfect opposites attract couples. A funny mischievous guy dating a boring dude that only loved water. Junmyeon pinched Chanyeol's side, as he hadn't specified which guy is Junmyeon, but out of the two it was obvious he was using the chance to call him boring. 

Chanyeol laughed when Junmyeon freaked out. 

"I'm just saying that if I find you guys flirting in the pool today, I want to be the best man in your wedding. Minseok would probably be his and then we would be called the best couple." Chanyeol explained before calling a kid that was close to them and asking him if he had sunscreen on. The little kid shook his head and Chanyeol splashed some sunscreen on him, teaching him how he should spread it over himself. 

Junmyeon smiled at the kid and when he left he lightly kicked Chanyeol in annoyance. He started explaining how Jongdae feared the water, skipping the part where the guy had almost drowned, and telling him how he was sure that by the end of the week he would know how to swim.

Chanyeol eyed him. Junmyeon avoided his gaze. Part of him knew Chanyeol hadn't been there yesterday and didn't know he had been using another set of swimming trunks, more loose and with a flower pattern. Not as flattering as the ones he was using today. A pair that hugged his butt more tightly, a little shorter so you could see his defined thigh muscles and in a dark blue color that contrasted with his white skin, bringing more attention to that part of his body. Chanyeol didn't know yesterday Junmyeon had taken out all of his swimming suits and tried them on to see which fitted him the best. His swimming trunks, his boardshorts, square leg swimsuits, swim jammers, swim briefs, everything he owned and taking pictures with his phone comparing which one was more eye-catching and flattering. 

"Are you sure you don't like him at all? He's cute and Minseok has told me he is gifted in some areas." Chanyeol whistled while pointing with his pouting lips at Junmyeon's private zone. 

"Why do you talk about his little brother's dick?" He covered himself self consciously as he asked Chanyeol, looking mortified. 

"We were just talking about dicks, yours also came into the conversation," Chanyeol said with a shrug. 

Junmyeon opened his mouth and then closed it again. He knew better than to question Chanyeol and Minseok's relationship and what they considered small talks. 

"Brother in law! Here!" Chanyeol screamed, waving at someone behind Junmyeon, while the latter was praying inside his head, hoping he hadn't heard them. 

He turned around just in time to see Jongdae curse and try to retrace his steps and get out. Chanyeol ran toward him, preventing his escape, and grabbed him pulling him toward the chairs.

Jongdae huffed annoyed at Chanyeol and gave Junmyeon one of what the oldest personally called  _ Jongdae's breathtakingly out-of -this-world smiles _ . Which was just a smile, but somehow he managed to turn his eyes into crescent moons while his lips slowly opened up to a big smile emphasizing his cheeks and the corners of his mouth were permanently upward making it seem like the smile filled his whole face and the rest of the world. Junmyeon just called noticing all of this being observant, nothing to do with the heart problems he was having in the moment. His heart was probably beating faster because of the cup of coffee he had drunk three days ago.The caffeine might hit him late due to some weird side effect of being in touch with chlorine water for so much time. 

"Do you have to be so loud?" Jongdae groaned and hid his face behind his hands. 

"If Minseok's not here it is my right and duty to embarrass you to death." Chanyeol said with a hand on his chest and squaring up his shoulders. Junmyeon laughed as the two boys bickered about Jongdae's brother's obsession with taking care of him. When they mentioned how Minseok always talked about him as if he was a little child, Junmyeon thought of bringing up his own mistake thinking Jongdae was a kid. However he thought twice about it. He would be embarrassed for not knowing something so basic about one of his best friends, while Jongdae could have felt even more embarrassed knowing the stories his swimming teacher had heard from Minseok. They were better off not knowing. 

Junmyeon took Jongdae from Chanyeol when he realized they could both continue arguing for hours. He took Jongdae to the pool as soon as he came out from the changing rooms, trying not to focus on how Jongdae’s swimming outfit had also changed into something more flattering. From the swimming shorts he had been wearing yesterday, to today’s choice, still shorts but instead of reaching under his knees they ended on his mid thighs. A little tighter and with a black solid color instead of the 70s groovy pattern ones he had worn yesterday. Junmyeon couldn't help but think, hope, he had the same reasons as he did to change outfits. 

He shook his head as if that would help throw that idea away. Number one, considering how he had talked about his little brother he would kill Junmyeon if he ever found his gaze spacing out on Jongdae's behind assets. Number two, Junmyeon had promised to teach him how to swim and if Jongdae ever drowned in the open ocean because Junmyeon had been too busy distracted by his pretty eyes instead of teaching him how to swim, Minseok would kill him. Number three, he was beginning to see how all of his reasons included Minseok and with reason! Minseok. Would. Kill. Him. 

They both entered the pool. Jongdae was sitting on the edge and sliding into the water, while Junmyeon just stepped into the pool from the edge, getting all wet in the process.

"Okay, so today we'll practice kicking." Junmyeon said getting closer to Jongdae. 

"You know, I did karate for a few weeks, and the instructor always used to say I was the worst kicker he had ever seen." Jongdae said back and smiled when he saw Junmyeon laughing at his story. 

"Don't worry, instead of karate I think it resembles more ballet?" Junmyeon amusedly replied. Jongdae muttered under his breath how he also sucked at that. Junmyeon ignored that and took Jongdae's hands. 

"Okay so you need to place your feet in a line with your legs like this." Junmyeon moved Jongdae's arms and place them parallel to the water. Then he made him move his hands as if they were standing, 90 degrees to his arms flexing on his wrist palms outside, as if he was Ironman (Jongdae gladly added that as a commentary). Then he made him stretch his hand back in a straight line with his arms. "Close your fingers and then you have to move your entire leg. Like this."

He placed his own arms like Jongdae's, parallel to the water, and started moving up and down without flexing his elbows. 

"So you don't move your knees?" Jongdae asked while following Junmyeon's moves. 

"Yes and no. I'll teach you more on the practice. Now, come here, I'll come back in a minute." Junmyeon placed his hands on the edge and pushed himself off the water. He returned from the changing rooms with two blue boards. He sat down on the border and called Jongdae closer, showing him the tool. 

"Normally I would help you practice kicking with your chest on the cement and everything below the waist on the water, but it's kind of creepy how the mothers are looking at us so we'll just do it above the water." Junmyeon whispered the last part making Jongdae laugh. Jongdae walked even closer, his chest touching Junmyeon's knees and Junmyeon was sure that from there he could see every detail of his long eyelashes as the younger boy's gaze met his own. He searched for Chanyeol with his eyes just to be sure he won't be teased about it later. His friend was on the other side of the pool, his back to them and it looked like he was teaching a kid on how to stay on top of the water with his arm floaters.

Jongdae cleared his throat and Junmyeon gulped when he saw how close they both were. Close enough that it would be so easy to encircle Jongdae with his legs and kiss him sweetly. Close enough that it would be easy for him to slide into the pool and "accidentally" meet Jongdae's lips with his own. Close enough to forget they were in a community pool and open his legs so Jongdae could-

"I thought I was either the only that noticed, or that you actually enjoyed giving a free show" Jongdae whispered back a little too huskily interrupting Junmyeon's train of thought. It was Junmyeon's turn to laugh and change the direction of the conversation saying Minseok had it way worse when he visited Chanyeol. The ladies would try to undress him with their eyes. 

Jongdae groaned in disgust at that picture, whining that he would never see him without remembering this and backing a little giving Junmyeon more space to slide in. 

"Okay so these friends over here float," Junmyeon started explaining as he grabbed one of the boards and gave Jongdae the other one. 

He watched how Jongdae grabbed his board and eyed it with caution, as if unsure if these things would help him learn swimming at all. He knew that look. The boards were clearly not small enough to be just floaters, and not big enough to be for surfing. Although one of his students last summer had specifically said they kind of look like a surfing board for an eight year old kid. 

He knew the boards weren't as popular outside the swimming world. Unless they had learned swimming with a teacher, people didn't usually know about them. It isn't mentioned on all of those swimming C-Dramas and K-Dramas, and is definitely not used when parents teach their kids how to swim. He had received many students that cried every time they entered the water because their parents thought it would be a good idea to teach them how to swim just like their parents thought them: by throwing them into the water and letting them learn by themselves. It should be illegal to do that, and Junmyeon remembered one of his Law courses where he made an exposition of why that prohibition should be made. His swimming team when they found just said that they were sure that's the main reason why he had decided to study Law. To make sure everyone is safe and sound on water. The ultimate lifeguard dream they had called it. 

Of course, Junmyeon also knew some parents also taught their sons and daughters how to swim pretty well. He was a living proof that and so was the swimming club's co-captain, Minseok. And that added another question to Junmyeon's never ending doubts with Jongdae. Why did their parents decide they would only teach one of their two kids how to swim? Why did Minseok never teach him growing up? 

And the most important question right now: what was Jongdae doing with the floating board? 

"Wait! No!" Junmyeon grabbed Jongdae's arm as he was about to try to dive in holding the kicking board vertically. He started to think Minseok's stories, about how his brother managed to find the best way to do something and get himself in danger, were not exaggerated. 

Junmyeon didn't know whether to laugh or to cry, so he just ignored Jongdae's attempt at whatever he was attempting and continued his explanation trying not to get sidetracked by his own thoughts or by how strong Jongdae's bicep felt when he grabbed it. He pulled his hand back and tried to ignore how firm it had felt and what arms like that could do to him, instead focusing on showing Jongdae how the board was supposed to be horizontal, parallel to the water. He placed his hands on the top of the board and started kicking, showing Jongdae how it worked and how it did help him not drowning while practicing his kick. He swam until the middle of the pool and back, when Jongdae told him that he wasn't buying it and it looked like it wasn't as safe as he was promising.

"You grab it here and here," Junmyeon said, grabbing his board by the sides. "Not so low," he said grabbing Jongdae's hands and moving them higher, "there, try tucking your elbows in or else a big monster will come out of the water and eat them."

He didn't know if to be flustered by how Jongdae grabbed his hand back or worried by how his student was now laughing and doubling over too close to the water. 

"I'm sorry but what?" Jongdae managed to wheeze out after a minute and everyone on their side of the pool focused on them. Junmyeon blushed deeply. He couldn't say it was because his students were usually younger, because he didn't know him that much and he feared offending him. As he was making out an excuse that didn't seem offensive, Jongdae caught his breath back. After calming himself, he decided to unintentionally take Junmyeon's breath instead. 

"You're weird, I like you. "

Junmyeon felt something he had only felt minutes before a big competition, a sort of rush, his nerves making him over conscious of everything from the way he stood to the way he breathed. He stared at Jongdae dumbfounded, asking himself whether he had correctly. From the way Jongdae was smiling at him, head slightly tilting to the right, his eyes focusing solely on him, he could guess the man was interested in him too. But it was a guess.

He reminded himself that even if that was the case, it shouldn't be too. He was his friend's brother, and somewhere out there must be a bro code that prohibits you dating your friend's family. 

"Thanks, I also like being weird, I guess." Junmyeon answered, being the first to break eye contact. He took his hands out of Jongdae's grasp as he explained how he needed to lean on the board and raise his legs. 

"Of course, to swim at a athletic level you'd need to learn kicking technique but for survival purposes you only need to focus on your feet and hips. Please lay down on the board, I'll help you with your legs." Junmyeon helped Jongdae climb on the kicking board and raise his legs.

"Now your feet need to go like this, like I thought you. Yes, like that. " Junmyeon smiled at how fast Jongdae was learning. His feet extended like a ballerina. 

"Now for the kick, you want to push the water with your whole keg starting from your hip. Don't flex your legs. Don't keep them straight locked either. Don't try kicking the water as if you were climbing, you'll only sink that way." Junmyeon kept fixing Jongdae's position and the latter silently received every tip.

Once he was sure Jongdae looked like he knew the basics, he told him they could practice on the same spot and then swim half lane. He grabbed Jongdae's waist trying to ignore how tiny it was. Ignoring how perfectly his hand fit in the small of his back and how perfect it would feel to hold him there. He grabbed the other man's waist and looked ahead trying to both focus on something rather than his student's body and avoiding the water splashing on his face. 

Jongdae kicked a few minutes like that, taking a few more breaks than expected in between. He smiled in encouragement every time Jongdae met his eye while he was trying to gather energy to continue kicking. He watched him bit his lip as he focused on keeping his legs over water. Time felt slower as his whole attention was on the younger, or maybe that was a side effect of seeing how Jongdae's kicking slowed down and his breathing became too loud. Junmyeon noticed it and made Jongdae stop. The idea was teaching him how to swim not train him for an Olympics, it was enough training for a day. 

"Dude, why are you so quiet today? Are you sick?" Chanyeol asked Jongdae as he placed one hand on the boyfriend's brother's forehead and one hand on his own forehead. Jongdae huffed and slapped his hand away playfully, before taking another bite of his burger. 

Chanyeol had invited them out for lunch as the other lifeguard from the pool came out to his shift. A small burger restaurant a block away from the pool, which both Chanyeol and Junmyeon visited often when they weren't in the swimming competition season. 

Junmyeon watched Jongdae check the place out with his eyes as he chewed on some fries. He knew that confused look. The interior just had 2 moods: cheap Hawaiian summer and Christmas. The cheap Hawaiian summer consisted of excessive pineapples on every decoration: the napkin holders, the hanging lamps, the tablecloths, the menus. You could think it was a pineapple or fruit store instead. The cushions were covered with a Hawaiian flower pattern and the air sprayed with a Tropical scent every 20 minutes.

"Reminds you of Hawaii, right? Chanyeol asked, spitting a little bit of his burger into the table. Junmyeon and Jongdae groaned disgustedly. Chanyeol laughed and picked a napkin to clean the mess. 

"For the last time, we haven't lived in every state!" Jongdae went on explaining how they have just lived in four different states and how he wished they hadn't lived on this one so Minseok hadn't met Chanyeol. Saying he didn't know what he did in his past life to be acquainted with him. Chanyeol didn't even look offended as he detailed how having lived in four states was weird and how he could have gone to any other state to study and complete his collection. Junmyeon just watched them bicker as if it was a live comedy show while he continued eating his burger.

They had been on it for some minutes, both loud, bringing in glares and amused stares from other customers and staff. Junmyeon tried getting them to fight at least like normal human beings without screaming, but to no avail. They only stopped when Jongdae excused himself to go to the bathroom. 

"You know you could go to the bathroom with him," Chanyeol whispered to Junmyeon. 

"I'm pretty sure harassment is not the way to someone's heart," Junmyeon whispered back before drinking the last sip of his pink lemonade. 

"Why do you want to enter his heart?" Chanyeol asked, reclining back on his chair and giving Junmyeon a smirk as he continued, "I was talking about your drinking three whole cups of lemonade and how you should also go to the bathroom, but I got a whole love confession instead. You're really crushing on him!"

Junmyeon slurped the water the ice was melting into and pretended he couldn't hear Chanyeol taunting him. That only made Chanyeol laugh louder. 

"He is kind of quiet, right?" Junmyeon asked after finally setting down his drink back on the table. Trying to look somehow uninterested but also testing the waters. Chanyeol hummed in response, looking at the men's bathroom door sending glares. 

"Not really. The first time we met was on Minseok's home and he dared me to beat his record on a Flash game on his computer. Little cockblocker wouldn't give up until I broke his record just to annoy us. Why?" 

Junmyeon thought of how after physically fixing his position with his hands touched his body, Jongdae would become a shade more red. Too fast for it to be confused with a sunburn. How even when their eyes met accidentally, the younger would try to avoid it immediately. How he had blurted out he liked Junmyeon's weirdness. Junmyeon was not that dense, it all looked like Jongdae had a crush on him. However, he also had past history thinking girls and guys were attracted to him, when they had been just shy. Better to be safe. He didn't even know if the man was gay, and Junmyeon wasn't top of his class just to crush on a straight man. 

What he could say that wouldn't get Chanyeol's teasing as a response? 

I think he's shy because he likes me? No, Chanyeol would ask him why he wanted to know if Jongdae liked him. 

I'm kind of bothered, how he talks to you but barely says one sentence to me? No, Chanyeol would scream how he was jealous of his attention. 

Maybe more simple? 

He doesn't talk to me? Chanyeol would remind him not everyone is an extrovert like him.

He knew Chanyeol but Chanyeol also knew him. He knew how troubled he looked wondering which was the right question to ask. He couldn't help but to soften his gaze and look at him with the same fondness he showed to his puppies. 

"Don't look too much into it. Maybe he only needs time to trust you. Minseok says he fears swimming, if he connects you with the idea of swimming it would be natural to feel uncomfortable around you." Chanyeol said with all the confidence of a Psychology major. 

Junmyeon was both relieved and upset with that theory. Relieved because that meant Jongdae didn't dislike him, or had a crush on him. And upset because that meant this whole awkward flirting scenario had only been occurring inside his head. He had been so focused on trying to make his student trust water that he had forgotten his student didn't trust him, it didn't matter he had years of friendship with his brother. He wasn't upset with Jongdae for not trusting him, even if he did save him from drowning once, they were still strangers. 

"What did I miss?"Jongdae sat down again next to Chanyeol when the latter cleared his throat. 

"You can't train tomorrow, right?" 

Junmyeon nodded unsure of why Chanyeol was saying the obvious. The next day would be a Friday, and the pool would be too full to make room for a private class. They both knew that. Even Jongdae knew that because Junmyeon told him they would only be able to go back on Monday.

"So Junmyeon and I were both thinking," Chanyeol said and Junmyeon frowned. They hadn't even been talking about the pool. "Well, more like he said, you should go to his house and practice in his own pool."

Junmyeon kicked Chanyeol under the table, but his friend sent him back a wink.

"You have a pool?" Jongdae said excitedly and Junmyeon couldn't say no. Well, for starters, because he would be lying. He did have a pool. 

"Yes, but, " Junmyeon started but was drowned by Chanyeol's louder voice. 

"But his parents aren't home for the week and wasn't sure if you wanted to go to a stranger's house all alone just to swim."

Jongdae met his eye before lowering his gaze to the table and watching his own hands cross and his right thumb tap the other hand's left thumb nail. 

"You aren't a stranger, though. Minseok has said a lot about you and you're friends with him." 

Junmyeon could almost coo at the sight, something Chanyeol did without restraints. Jongdae just rolled his eyes. 

  
  


"So for you to set the date for tomorrow you need to exchange numbers," Chanyeol clapped and took Junmyeon's phone from the table, unlocking it with his fingerprint, and giving it to Jongdae. 

"Uh, right," Jongdae stuttered as he tapped his number wondering if the other had also heard Chanyeol calling it a date. Junmyeon sighed loudly and his student stopped for a while thinking that maybe he shouldn't have accepted the phone. However, Junmyeon was frowning at Chanyeol. 

"At this point in my life, I don't know if I should ask how your fingerprint unlocks my phone, since when or to even ask at all."

Jongdae kept writing his number and hesitating on how to save his name, writing and deleting a couple of times before settling with his name and "Minseok's brother" in parenthesis after it. 

"You asked me to add my fingerprint three months ago, completely lost after that night you thought it would be a good idea to add cheap vodka to 2 liters of Tang Iced Tea." 

Jongdae laughed watching Chanyeol's worried, exasperated gaze. He was used to seeing only directed to him, when he ate at his house and Minseok was telling him one of Jongdae's last adventures. And Jongdae had to admit that sounded like something he would definitely try. 

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Junmyeon said, acting confused but his ears betrayed him as they were becoming redder by the second. Jongdae decided to save him from the embarrassment and handed him the phone trying to divert the attention. 

"I added my number, text me so I can also get yours," Jongdae said thinking the other would text him tonight or at least in the weekend. He felt his phone on his short's pocket vibrate and he took it out to read a text. 

"Hi." From an unknown number.

Jongdae focused on not blushing as he nodded to Junmyeon and told him he received the message. He saved his phone back in his pocket already thinking on how he would save Junmyeon's contact once he reached home. 

He didn't see Junmyeon's disappointment when he looked how he didn't even bother to save his number. 

They divided the bill after Chanyeol said he had invited them to eat with him but hadn't specified he would be the one paying and proposed that the older should pay. Not wanting to be a bother to Junmyeon who was already teaching him how to swim for free, he said he would pay for all of them already taking out his wallet. But Junmyeon stopped him saying he shouldn't have to pay for his meal and that they should all just divide the bill. Jongdae could only nod in response, all his senses focused on how Junmyeon was holding his hand as he had stopped him from handing Chanyeol his wallet. 

He walked back to the apartment he shared with his brother, only stopping in a stationery store to buy some kind of cable adapter Minseok had asked him to buy on his way home. He walked back trying not to step on the cracks of the sidewalk, and thinking if he should rat out Chanyeol to his brother. He knew his brother's boyfriend had enough money and had only done it to annoy them. That's the way he liked joking. It didn't even bother him but he knew Minseok would take his side and it would be funny to get a mini revenge as Minseok would give him a half an hour speech on how that wasn't even a funny prank.

He could already hear his brother's complaining. What if it hadn't been Jongdae or Junmyeon? What if it had been someone who had only accepted the invite knowing they didn't have enough money to buy themselves a burger? 

They both knew enough Chanyeol to know he wouldn't do that to a stranger, much less someone he knew wasn't carrying the money to pay for themselves. But nothing could stop Minseok and his what ifs. 

Well, since Chanyeol had actually done something Jongdae had wanted to do since the moment he knew Junmyeon (to get his number) he would just tell Minseok they had eaten together without the details. He went inside his house and set the things he bought for Minseok on the table, before walking to the laundry machine and throwing his swimming shorts and the clothes he had been wearing on his way there.

"Hey! Can you also throw in my clothes? They're next to the machine!"

Jongdae mimicked Minseok but still threw the clothes inside the machine. 

"It's your turn making dinner," Jongdae said to his brother as he walked to the kitchen to get his water bottle from the refrigerator. 

"Tonight I'm serving visuals," Minseok muttered under his breath as he struggled with opening the box Jongdae had bought. Once he opened it, he connected it to his computer and a box full of cables. Jongdae winced at the mess he was making on the table and at his corny answer, knowing Minseok wanted him to complete the meme. 

"But mom, we haven't eaten in two weeks!" 

Minseok laughed, happy someone would at least try to keep up with his joke. Jongdae rolled his eyes and sat down, placing his head on the table while looking at his brother glowering at his computer. Minseok used to stay in a smaller apartment until he moved in with him to study at the same university. Their parents lived in another state and helped them with tuition and rent, but Minseok started working, part-time at an advertising agency doing websites, to cover their living costs.

Jongdae had wanted to start working a summer job to help him but his brother had totally refused to let him. Minseok had said he should just enjoy the summers as he had done before, and that he was actually just working because it helped his resume. He was way too early on his classes to get a job related to his career, so he should just enjoy summer and maybe do volunteering, learn a sport or get a course. So far, two weeks into summer, he had already gone to an orphanage to offer his help building shelves for the children and creating a book fair so people from the town could donate books they no longer needed. He had also visited the kids and promised he would teach them how to play a lot of games he had learned from the boy scouts and church camps from when he was little. 

There weren't a lot of artitecture courses during summer in his town, or at least he didn't know where they would give them, so he enrolled in a painting class on Saturdays. Even if it wasn't something his future employers were looking for, he was sure a painting of himself throwing lightning from his hands would look great on his wall. A huge mood booster to wake up and look at a Zeus version of yourself. Could scare out his crush, though. 

Which reminded him of the sport he had taken, swimming. Minseok, their mother and father, were all great at swimming and went on vacations. Someone always had to either stay on alert for Jongdae drowning or stay outside the pool or at the shore with him. More than once they had ended their day with a visit to the doctor and a close call to death. All three had tried to help him learn but it all ended with him spitting out the water he had accidentally drunk and praying this wasn't his last sip of H ₂ O. His brother was the one that asked his friend to teach him, claiming that this was their last hope, that he was the best swimming teacher the world has ever seen, Poseidon in a tiny body, and that if he couldn't teach him nobody could.

Jongdae had laughed over his praises of his friend, but now he could see why he was called the best at it. Junmyeon's smile when he was on the water was extraordinary. Not magical, or something corny like that, but he looked like he enjoyed water to the point that even if Jongdae himself hated it, he would try to learn how to like it just for him. He looked reliable, the kind of guy parents in law fell in love with. It was a shame, his crush was one sided. From subtle glances and flirting attempts to literally confess he liked him, it looked like Junmyeon either didn't get the message or was plainly ignoring it so he doesn't have to reject him. Jongdae sighed. From what he had heard from his brother, Junmyeon even if he focused too much on swimming rather than his major, he still had decent grades and was one of the best essay writers for his university's newspaper. The possibilities of him being dense enough to not understand he liked him were pretty low. 

"You look tired and I will probably just end up calling a pizza, so just go take a rest and I'll call you down for dinner," Minseok said, not taking his eyes away from the computer and waving him off. Jongdae, between yawns, reminded him they had clothes on the washing machine and that he should put them to dry when the cycle ended. 

He grabbed his water bottle from the table and walked to his room, locking it out of habit. Throwing himself into the bed, he laid on his stomach reclining on his elbows. He took out his phone and looked at the unnamed contact, thinking what he should Junmyeon as. 

Swimming teacher? Too impersonal. 

Kim Junmyeon? His name but not descriptive enough. 

Junmyeon and a heart emoji? No. What if Chanyeol or Minseok discovered it? They would never let him live. Or worse, what if Junmyeon discovered the emoji. 

Minseok's Junmyeon? It looked like they were a couple. 

Kim Juncotton? If Junmyeon saw it he would know Jongdae had searched him and stalked on social media the first day they met. 

Kim Junmyeon, the conqueror? Sounded like a name you would a Spanish or Portuguese ship captain. 

Jun noodle? That could be either rude or strangely sexual. Jongdae groaned and switched to laying on his back. 

So many wrong ways to name his crush's contact. He settled for "Kim Junmyeon (swimming)", and hesitated as he fingered over the message button. What if Junmyeon didn't even want to talk to him but he had to give him his number because of Chanyeol? What if he didn't even want to teach him anymore but felt obligated because he was friends with his brother? 

Sure, Junmyeon hadn't shown any rudeness or annoyance during their lessons. But sometimes he would compare the quiet focused Junmyeon with the overexcited and funny Junmyeon from his brother and Chanyeol's stories. Of course, it only made sense he would behave differently with his friends than with his friend's little brother. But that brought in another problem. What if Junmyeon could only see him as his friend's little brother?

Even when he had found Junmyeon watching him, he couldn't keep his hopes up, because the older one would immediately frown or smile awkwardly. The probabilities of Junmyeon texting him first were pretty low. After all, Jongdae should be the one interested in the swimming classes and he was also the one crushing on the other. He opened the chat and closed it right back, placing his phone beside him on the bed. 

He couldn't do it. What if Junmyeon didn't want him to go to his house for a lesson? Inviting a stranger you weren't even interested in wouldn't be the ideal Friday afternoon. 

He grabbed his phone back. He would do it. Maybe Junmyeon wasn't interested right now but Jongdae knew he was cute and funny enough to be sure he could win his heart. Call him delusional but maybe Junmyeon had changed his swimming suit into something more flattering for the same reasons like him, to impress the other. 

He dropped the phone back. What if his approaches were annoying and he felt harassed? What if Junmyeon wasn't even gay?

He grabbed the phone and before finding another reason to put it back down, he noticed Junmyeon had already texted him. Without losing another minute, he opened the chat. A single message, a Google Maps address with a question: "Tomorrow at 4?". 

Excitement, worry, stress, butterflies in the stomach, nausea, possible heart failure symptoms, Jongdae was feeling it all as he stood outside Junmyeon's house. He bit his lower lip as he gave a little pep talk to himself. He was just here to swim. Sure there would be no one in the house, but that meant nothing if he was just a student for Junmyeon, his swimming teacher. He was just Minseok's brother in need of some swimming lessons.

That's it. That was their relationship. Did Jongdae hoped that it could changed after today? Well, yes. But he didn't expect anything, expecting would only lead him to disappointment. He couldn't try anything in fear that could ruin Minseok's friendship with Junmyeon. His brother wouldn't break up all ties with him, but knowing Minseok and his overprotectiveness toward him, it would make everything awkward if he ever find about it. 

Just thinking about how his brother would react if he even knew about his crush on his friend. If he knew Jongdae was suffering in silence for his crush, he would be mad at Junmyeon for making him suffer. If he knew Jongdae confessed and Junmyeon had rejected him, he would be mad at Junmyeon for denying his feelings. If he knew Jongdae confessed and Junmyeon for some unknown reason accepted his feelings and dated him, he would be mad at Junmyeon for stealing his little brother's heart. Jongdae blushed at the last possibility. To be able to hold Junmyeon's hands, to be able to kiss those lips, to be able to touch those abs, to be able to tell him how yesterday's swimming shorts were the best he had ever seen, to be able to watch how his nose wrinkled like a little bunny every time he laughed, to be able to do that and more; it all seemed more like a foolish dream than a possibility. 

He lifted his hand to touch the doorbell but kept his finger hovering millimeters away. He should act like he wasn't interested on Junmyeon, or at least try not to be that obvious. That would be a good plan, except for the fact he had been to nervous to hang around his apartment so he decided to walk around and breathe a little bit. Somehow, between thinking and simultaneously trying not to, he arrived to Junmyeon's place half an hour before they had decided to. 

Jongdae frowned and considered walking around the block to kill the time, when his teacher opened the front door with a frown and a yawn.

"Jongdae, you're here earlier, " Junmyeon said with a yawn as he pretended to have just come from being asleep instead of watching through the window, how the younger hesitated for ten minutes outside his door. He frowned at how embarrassed the other looked. Maybe he should have chosen a better welcoming phrase. Did he sound annoyed? He just wanted to not sound as overjoyed and nervous as he felt. 

"Uh, yes, I might have been too excited to learn how to swim!"

Junmyeon saw how the younger cringed after faking enthusiasm, making him feel like he had done something wrong. Did the other already had plans for today but was too nice to cancel the classes?

"Come on in, I just ate but I still have some left if you haven't," he said and closed the door before leading the way to the kitchen. Jongdae answered he had already eaten but accepted the cup of water Junmyeon offered him.

"I thought you had just woken up," he said as he took a seat to watch Junmyeon as he did the dishes.

Junmyeon frowned in confusion before stopping his scrubbing for a second when he realized how he had messed up his story. He tried to return inconspicuously to scrubbing the pan he was washing while answering nonchalantly. 

"Eating makes me sleepy, that's all, " he said and frowned at his own answer. He sounded like his father after lunch, saying that in some places a "siesta" was a costume after the food. He forced himself to focus on the task and not turn his head to gauge Jongdae's reaction. However, once the dishes were clean, he had no excuse for not to focus on his student.

"We could start right now but I just ate so I shouldn't go swimming for at least half an hour, but I could direct you from outside the pool if you want?" He said while serving himself a cup of water, trying to be subtle and not stare at the younger for too long. Jongdae instantly refused; he was still afraid he would panic and drown, to which Junmyeon would jump and also drown with him.

Junmyeon bit his inner cheek trying not to laugh at Jongdae's rambles as he went on and on about ways it could all go wrong. He was like Minseok in that way. Both could go for hours talking about possibilities, except that Minseok's rambles would usually be stressful to listen to and his brother's would be cute. 

"We could rest for a while before swimming?" Junmyeon proposed while asking himself if that sounded too domestic or romantic or if it was just his mind playing dirty on him and it just sounded like a reasonable idea. It was probably the last one as Jongdae just answered with a nod. Junmyeon frowned as he showed him his living room. Why was Jongdae always either rambling or quiet with him?

Was Junmyeon that bad at making friends? Was he really that untrustworthy? Was the younger not enjoying their classes or company? Or was he, as always, just overthinking things? Maybe it was just shyness after all? He sat on one of the two sofas and as he grabbed the remote control, he asked his visit what kind of program he would like to see.

From the other sofa Jongdae just stared right back at him. He played with his fingers while Junmyeon turned on the tv to the last episode from a series that he was watching. The screen changed from black to a R rated scene where two men were kissing each other passionately in the living room taking each other's clothes off. Jongdae felt like going inside the pool and just drowning instead. He forcefully looked at the table in front of them, avoiding looking at the tv or Junmyeon and his expression. 

He couldn't stop his face from burning red. First the scene. Then his hopeful thoughts. If he liked BL, there was a chance he wasn't straight and he would like him back. Of course, both Minseok and Chanyeol were gay but sometimes there's a straight friend on friends groups and you can't never be one hundred percent sure. Jongdae hoped he would like men, but in a world where being straight is the rule, he couldn't just go and confess right away. Even if he was straight, he was sure the man wouldn't be rude while rejecting him, but Jongdae can't even imagine the embarrassment he would feel from confessing to a straight man. He watched as Junmyeon struggled with getting out of the account and just playing cable television.

But luck wasn't on his side today, and as soon as he clicked on a random channel, they saw a young man masturbating on his bed and moaning. Jongdae closed his eyes and bit his inner cheek to stop himself from thinking how this was definitely not helping his situation. Junmyeon turned off the tv and walked closer, sitting on the same sofa as him. 

"How about we talk instead?" Junmyeon asked and Jongdae had to focus extra hard at not reacting strangely with their bodies so close, their knees almost touching each other. Worried his voice would just falter when speaking, he just nodded. 

"Is there anything you would like to know?"

Yes, are you single? How do you like your eggs in the morning? Are you even gay? Are you wearing a tighter swimming suit than yesterday? Do you train everyday to keep up those abs? Can I use your abs as a training board today?

Jongdae was sure the other question was about swimming but his mind went wild with ideas. 

"Your parents must trust you a lot to leave you the house for a week?" Jongdae said unsure while he complained at his own mind for not having a better conversation starter. That man was already twenty one, not a teenager. Even if he decided to do a party in his pool, he could probably have everything under control for when his parents returned. 

Junmyeon said that his family was visiting their aunt in another city. Jongdae felt bad for him. Had Minseok forced his friend to stay so he could teach him how to stop drowning? Maybe that explained why the older frowned at times when he was watching him swim. He didn't say his worries aloud but Junmyeon must have seen his distress because he explained further. Telling him not to worry because he wasn't accepted in his aunt's house because she was religious. 

What did that even mean? Was he gay, divorced, a wizard, a fortune teller, an ex-convict? What did religious people hate enough to not take in their nephews? It looked like the topic made Junmyeon somehow uncomfortable so he didn't ask again. 

Junmyeon watched Jongdae hesitate and expected for him to get the indirect answer with his own confession. Something along the lines of you don't have to worry, I get it, I'm also gay. But what he got was a small sorry and him saying it was Junmyeon's turn to ask him something. 

Are you gay? Would your brother try to kill me in my sleep if I told you I like you? Did you change your swimsuit for the same reason as I did? Are you also feeling this sexual tension when our knees touch in this tiny sofa or is it just me?

He ignored his train of thought that was slowly but surely getting more horny and instead asked something he had been curious about. Why did Jongdae not know how to swim when Minseok could?

"If you're asking why Minseok hasn't taught me, I will have to admit he has tried." Jongdae said with a guilty smile. He went on saying how his older brother had tried teaching him but he got too exasperated when Jongdae made jokes or too nervous when Jongdae started panicking and almost drowned a few times. Knowing Minseok, Junmyeon could also agree that he panicked when other people did. Not exactly a good habit to have when teaching people not to drown. 

"What about your parents?" Junmyeon asked and watched Jongdae's reaction. The younger one stared at him as if searching something before sighing. 

"A few years ago both of them tried teaching me. Let's just say Minseok got those awful teaching skills from somewhere." Jongdae paused and Junmyeon filled that small silence with his laugh. That really sounds like Minseok. "As a kid they only taught him because we lived close to a beach and I was still too little to learn. As we grew up and moved to a city it wasn't that necessary to know how to. Then I almost drowned as a kid during a vacation and had a mini trauma since then I guess?"

Junmyeon nodded he was kind of expecting for him to have an almost drowning experience considering how scared he looks entering the water. Especially since after a few minutes on each lesson he slowly eased into comfort, once he focused on swimming and not just thinking he's in the pool. On the contrary, Junmyeon wasn't comfortable outside the pool and while he could answer Jongdae's confession with exercises and routines, he couldn't use words.

"Let's go then," Junmyeon said as he tapped Jongdae's shoulder and stood up from the sofa, pointing at a door at the end of the hallway. "There's the bathroom, so you can change clothes?" He said the last sentence as a question, dragging the last words as his eyes scanned the living room searching around for Jongdae's bag, and smiling when he found it passing it to him. 

Jongdae hesitated between telling him that he didn't need it since he was wearing his swimming shorts under his long shorts or taking the offer because he would be too shy to undress outside with Junmyeon watching him. Option one came with the opportunity to watch a little bit more of his crush's house, including the photo frames nailed to the walls of the hallway but with the other he could gauge Junmyeon's reaction to him taking his clothes off. Of course, that was also a risk. Even if Junmyeon wouldn't laugh at him, he could look uninterested or with fondness as if he was only a kid. Jongdae couldn't decide which was worse. He reminded himself that he didn't even know if Junmyeon wasn't straight. 

If only for scientific research, he tried to convince himself as he told Junmyeon he didn't need the bathroom to change.

A phone rang and Jongdae felt his pockets for him. Slowly realizing he had left it at home, even remembering he had put it down in the kitchen counter so he wouldn't forget them. 

"You can take off your clothes while I search for the boards." Junmyeon said while clapping his hands and awkwardly stepping back into the house, answering his ringing phone. Jongdae looked at the swimming boards beside the pool and shook his head. 

Definitely straight. Jongdae wouldn't mind a fit young man undress in his presence. But the hopeful part of his brain was telling him Junmyeon didn't even know he was gay. Even if the straight person wasn't blatantly rude when being homophobic, most straight men felt uncomfortable if they had to undress in front of gay or bisexual guys. Or at least that was what he had learnt from spa, public bathhouses and locker room chats with other men that didn't know he was gay.

Straight or gay used to living in a world infested with straight cis men? Even if he was gay why would he be attracted to his friend's little brother? Didn't he know more fit guys to crush on? Hot fit guys who could swim as good as him? 

He pushed his doubts behind, taking first his shirt off and folding it to save it back on his bag. As he was taking his shorts off he saw, from the corner of his eye, Junmyeon return. It looked like Junmyeon didn't notice he saw him too as he pointedly stare at his back and below. Once he watched junmyeon absentmindedly biting his lips, Jongdae rushed to straighten himself as he folded the clothes with a smug smile growing on his face. 

Definitely not straight. 

Junmyeon watched as Jongdae saved his clothes away. Chanyeol had called him wondering if Jongdae was there, cursing him out for making Minseok worried for not answering his calls. He told him Jongdae had arrived half an hour before and promised that his phone had been the only one ringing in that period of time. Chanyeol had groaned in what he called second hand embarrassment, as he complained about his boyfriend's brother's obviousness. He muttered it as if he wasn't expecting Junmyeon to listen to it. But he did. 

Why would Jongdae be obvious just for arriving early to his house?

Junmyeon didn't want to be self-absorbed, or to act like a teenager, thinking every gaze, every word, every skinship was proof the other was attracted to him. But he wasn't that blind. Maybe he had been right from the beginning and Jongdae was also getting a crush on him. 

Minseok be damned. If Jongdae was interested in him, he would make it work. He was ready to go and confess straight away when doubt crept into his mind again. What if Chanyeol was talking just to talk? What if he didn't mean Jongdae was gay or interested in him?

But what if he was both and Junmyeon was losing the opportunity to date one of the funniest and most handsome men he had met this summer?

Junmyeon took out his shirt and immediately searched Jongdae's reaction to his body. He knew he had a great swimming body. Judging by Jongdae's permanent stare at his abdomen that only changed focus when his flickered to a place lower, he knew it too. Junmyeon smiled relieved and excitedly as he jumped into the pool to cover up his red cheeks.

Definitely gay and interested. 

He watched as Junmyeon quickly pulled out his shirt throwing it into a chair and jumped into the pool. Secretly cursing him for not wanting to take his time so he could steal some glances at his god sent pecs. Once the older showed him what was the shallowest part of his swimming pool, he got closer to the edge and tested the temperature of the water with his foot. After making sure the water was warm enough, he took a seat on the edge and looked at Junmyeon. The water reached for fingers under his knees, not managing to wet his shorts, but helping him adjust to the water's temperature.

He hesitated, thinking of what he could to show Junmyeon he was also interested without coming too strong. He was legally an adult, a grown up, he could come clear and confess he liked him. However, he had never confessed to a crush before. He was slightly drunk one night and stood easily. He had dated friends. To confess to someone he had met in the same week completely sober? Jongdae had never read a WikiHow for that. 

The insecurity must have shown in his face because Junmyeon walked closer until his chest was touching Jongdae's knees. He noticed him but didn't actually realize how close they were until Junmyeon lightly placed his hand on top of his right shoulder, murmuring calming words and promises that even if it was a different pool and there wasn't anyone else to save him, he would be there to not let him drown. Assuring him he could take his time. Taking his hand away from his shoulder as suddenly as he had placed it there, to walk a meter away from him.

"I swear a few more lessons and you'll be able to chill like this on any summer afternoon," Junmyeon said with an easy grin as he lay on his back floating in the water peacefully.

Although that wasn't the reason for his hesitation, Jongdae couldn't help but to feel touched. While many people did try to say fearing water was understandable and normal, they would also try to push him into it claiming he needed to face his fears to conquer them. Someone gave him the time to take things on his pace, focusing on making him enjoy learning how to swim instead of making him feel shame for being this old without knowing how to do a basic swim; he didn't even know he wanted someone like this before meeting him.

Maybe that's what kept Jongdae from confessing, he was too afraid to admit that what he felt for Junmyeon wasn't only physical attraction. It wasn't love either, it was too soon for that. But he was falling. Hard. Without control. Heart speeding from only watching Junmyeon smile at him as he finally slipped into the pool ready for another lesson. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank the mods for always answering doubts I had, the prompter for a really great prompt which I loved writing and vikinglord (her ao3), for being the best beta I could have asked for. Thank you for having patience with me and transforming this fic into something that actually made sense.


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